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Upon hearing Wednesday's news that a regional
director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Northwestern
football players can unionize, Swinney told reporters, "We have enough
entitlement in this country as it is. To say these guys get nothing
totally devalues an education."

If I'm a Clemson football player, I'm insulted by that. In January,
Swinney signed an eight-year contract worth $27.15 million. It's an
excessive amount for any coach, let alone a coach of Swinney's caliber.
And it's blood money earned off the sweatshop labor that is his players.

Swinney chalks up a group of football players trying to unionize to
better themselves as entitlement, yet there's no one on Clemson's campus
who feels he's entitled more than Swinney.

No? Then why did Swinney agree to his mega-million dollar deal that is
guaranteed for the full eight years even if he is fired within the next
three years?

If the Tigers fall flat next year, coach, and you get a pink slip, why
should the Brinks truck continue to drop off bags on the doorstep of
your mansion? Don't we have enough entitlement in this country as it is?

Your words, coach. Not mine.

Here's a little advice, Dabo. You've already gotten more than your share
of the pie. Don't begrudge another for trying to get his. Just shut up
and coach.

These days, more cash flows into big-time college athletic programs and
conferences than some third-world countries. The top programs rake in
more than $100 million a year from football and basketball. The NCAA is
enjoying a 14-year, $10.8 billion ? with a B ? contract for its men's
basketball tournament, and the major conferences like the ACC and SEC
have a 12-year, $7.2 billion deal with ESPN for a football playoff.

Then there are the millions of dollars pulled down by the NCAA and its
athletic programs through tickets, jerseys, clothing, car flags, seat
cushions, bottle openers and any other trinkets rabid fans might buy.
And don't forget all the Benjamins from boosters and fundraising
breakfasts, lunches, dinners and golf tournaments.

So no, Dabo, when it comes to your players ? you know, those guys on the
field the fans really pay to see ? an education isn't enough of the
pie.

Three meals a day, a roof over your head, some books, lectures and a
degree ? if a "student-athlete" has time between two-a-days and road
trips to earn one ? might be sufficient for the no-names on your roster,
Dabo. But the guys up the depth chart ? you know, the guys who really
bring home the bacon for you ? surely deserve more.

What about Tajh Boyd, your quarterback who rewrote the Clemson and ACC
record books the past three years? His NFL prospects don't look real
good at this point. Is a $40,000-a-year job he might land with his
sociology degree all he should get for the riches he's helped heap upon
you?

The Northwestern lawsuit isn't the first attempt to garner more for
college athletes, and there are more on court dockets across the land.
At some point, something will change.

One way to give athletes more would be to allow them to sign endorsement
deals like Olympic athletes do. Continue to give an athlete his
scholarship and have his true worth fulfilled by companies willing to
pony up cash for the athlete to pitch their products.

The top athletes would likely garner the most endorsement money as they
should, while players who rarely see the field would still have their
scholarships. It's a logical idea. And it's fair.

No matter how it's done, though, college athletes should be getting more of the loot. They earn it.

And for you not to see that, Dabo, when your cup runneth over is troubling.

__________________If your worst fears come true, you no longer have anything left to fear.

So Deebo said it and the newspaper is apoligizing for printing it. Of course since I worked full time and paid for my own college education and an currently in the midst of paying for one for my son I have to grudgingly agree with Deebo.

I agree HC coaches salaries are out of control but Dabo is correct, too. Man that hurt to say. All these people complaining about these athletes and not getting "their share of the pie" is BS and devalues education. Education is one of the biggest factors in quality of life and earning power.

Chris Spilleman had the only way I'd be ok with players being paid. They'd get stipends placed in a savings account and they'd only get it after they graduate. It would entice players to go to class and finish their degree. Too many of these players leave early and after not making it in the NFL, they never go back and complete their degree.

This report like so many keep ignoring that football and basketball pay for the entire budget so there isn't that much excess of money and that all athletes would need to be paid equally.

A couple things about the article:
1.) Supposedly Bundy pulled one statement Dumbo made and did not expand on what else Dumbo said about athletes sharing in the success of the sport. Code for Statement out of context.

2.) The apology written by the editor for Bundy's article should also be posted as well. He bent over backwards to say "We didn't mean to say anything bad about Mr. Dumbo". Please forgive us and keep reading our paper Clemsonites.

I would agree with Dumbo had he actually meant what he said.

__________________
Q:Why did the Rooster cross the road?
A:To kick a Tiger's Ass

I agree HC coaches salaries are out of control but Dabo is correct, too. Man that hurt to say. All these people complaining about these athletes and not getting "their share of the pie" is BS and devalues education. Education is one of the biggest factors in quality of life and earning power.

Chris Spilleman had the only way I'd be ok with players being paid. They'd get stipends placed in a savings account and they'd only get it after they graduate. It would entice players to go to class and finish their degree. Too many of these players leave early and after not making it in the NFL, they never go back and complete their degree.

This report like so many keep ignoring that football and basketball pay for the entire budget so there isn't that much excess of money and that all athletes would need to be paid equally.

I think this is the best idea for a stipend but I think very strict rules should be added around it. You leave early you lose it, you get arrested you lose it, you skip class you lose it, you test positive for any drugs you lose it, you don't finish your degree you lose it. This might sound harsh but student athletes should be held to a higher standard since they are representing the university.

2.) The apology written by the editor for Bundy's article should also be posted as well. He bent over backwards to say "We didn't mean to say anything bad about Mr. Dumbo". Please forgive us and keep reading our paper Clemsonites.

Is that not in the link, or is there another one?

__________________If your worst fears come true, you no longer have anything left to fear.

I think this is the best idea for a stipend but I think very strict rules should be added around it. You leave early you lose it, you get arrested you lose it, you skip class you lose it, you test positive for any drugs you lose it, you don't finish your degree you lose it. This might sound harsh but student athletes should be held to a higher standard since they are representing the university.

I like this but I would argue for a strike policy and not a 1 mess up and you're done kinda thing because after all kids will be kids whether they play sports or not.

If I may play devil's advocate for a second. With your stipulations there, mixed with our sue happy society today. A whole new crazy can of worms could be opened up by 1 unhappy player suing because he lost his money.

The NCAA would have to make sure they wrote out very clearly everything you must do to get that money.

I also don't agree with making the kids graduate to get their money. Some guys just plain don't want an education. I know it sounds dumb to say but if you really look at it i'm not wrong. With how many underclassmen left school early this year for the NFL, I don't think that number would increase much if you allowed them to collect that money after they leave school to turn pro early. (although, enticing them with more money by staying the extra year to graduate MIGHT sway some kids to stay and finish their last year of eligibility)

I like this but I would argue for a strike policy and not a 1 mess up and you're done kinda thing because after all kids will be kids whether they play sports or not.

If I may play devil's advocate for a second. With your stipulations there, mixed with our sue happy society today. A whole new crazy can of worms could be opened up by 1 unhappy player suing because he lost his money.

The NCAA would have to make sure they wrote out very clearly everything you must do to get that money.

I also don't agree with making the kids graduate to get their money. Some guys just plain don't want an education. I know it sounds dumb to say but if you really look at it i'm not wrong. With how many underclassmen left school early this year for the NFL, I don't think that number would increase much if you allowed them to collect that money after they leave school to turn pro early. (although, enticing them with more money by staying the extra year to graduate MIGHT sway some kids to stay and finish their last year of eligibility)

If they are good enough to get millions and don't want to graduate than the couple thousands they didn't get won't make a difference. The money should reward true student athletes, both scholarship and non scholarship guys. You can't argue to only pay the scholarship guys if the logic is the players are making the school money.

Amazing how that Rat faced fink at the State could write outright lies about our program and it was excused because he is writing an "opinion piece". Not one retraction from the State EVER, even when it was proven that Rat Face LIED about the facts. We put up with it for about 10 years and were supposed to live with it.

One column from a Podunk paper in Florence that very few actually read or care about criticizing CU which apparently somebody didn't like (which was an OPINION piece by the way!) and the FRIGGIN EDITOR writes a retraction piece the NEXT DAY. I have no doubt this was due to some sort of threat from the local IPTAY contingent.

Whether Bundy was right or wrong is irrelevant. What is scary is that a group of illiterates have that much control over what the press prints and what they don't.

If they are good enough to get millions and don't want to graduate than the couple thousands they didn't get won't make a difference. The money should reward true student athletes, both scholarship and non scholarship guys. You can't argue to only pay the scholarship guys if the logic is the players are making the school money.

"sweat-shop labor?" HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!! The OP is completely clueless. It's kids playing a game no one makes them play. If you play sports and you don't make money, you are a sweat-shop laborer now? What the heck is going on with the brains of these people all of a sudden? Wow, we have people getting more ridiculous by the minute now.

A little off topic here, but where would the money train end? As far as being paid goes, it looks like everybody is focused on the athlete portion of these student-athletes. You have institutions like UNC, Miami, and many others where tutors are quite literally doing all of the academic legwork that allows these players to remain eligibile. Without them, there is no playing time.

"sweat-shop labor?" HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!! The OP is completely clueless. It's kids playing a game no one makes them play. If you play sports and you don't make money, you are a sweat-shop laborer now? What the heck is going on with the brains of these people all of a sudden? Wow, we have people getting more ridiculous by the minute now.

... or, we drop the silly charade of "student-athlete" and just have sports teams that are representing the university in name only. The athletes should be paid, because everyone else is profiting from them, and profiting big time.

... or, we drop the silly charade of "student-athlete" and just have sports teams that are representing the university in name only. The athletes should be paid, because everyone else is profiting from them, and profiting big time.

Would never work. Many would stop supporting those teams. Look at how minor league teams do, that's what college football would look like if you remove the school from it.